I sit with a heavy heart as I just watched approximately 150-200 Kirti monks (from Dharamsala monastery) leave the Dalai Lama’s temple in McLeod ganj. The feeling of intense sadness and worry loomed in the air as the community watched the monks depart for the 500 kilometer march to Delhi. In an effort to show solidarity with their fellow monks in Ngaba, Tibet the Kirti monks in India are participating in a peace march to Delhi, which I have been told will take approximately 20 days.
Today, April 26th, The Dalai Lama and the Tibetan community joined in special prayer at The Dalai Lama’s temple with prayers for the Kirti Monastery monks and the Tibetan community of Ngaba County, Tibet. In addition prayers were made for the release of the Panchen Lama who has been missing since 1995.
The recent crackdown on the Kirti monastery in Ngaba County, Tibet has brought about intense military presence and restrictions of movement on the people of Ngaba especially within Kirti Monastery. Below is a summary of the Tibetan Women’s Association press releases calling for International assistance in raising awareness of the extreme human rights violations and mistreatment of the monks and the Tibetan community.
As you will read below you will see the situation continues in Tibet after 52 years of brutal crackdowns and presence of the Chinese military which continues to violate human rights. These are reasons why we in the free countries need to take a stance to show support for the Tibetans inside Tibet and outside Tibet. I know I have spent a great deal of time requesting your financial contributions for the Pennies for Partnerships projects with little attention to the issues as to why the Tibetans are in exile. Tibetans fled to India in 1959 to find refuge from the Chinese occupation which has forcibly restricted them from their freedoms and opportunities of self determination.
As we become aware of refugee issues we become aware of the extreme conditions in which they live today. They are separated from their homeland which includes for many their families and their culture. In India, although they have found safety they have also found many struggles. Poverty is only one of the concerns, which is why I ask for your support to the Tibetan Farmers but I also ask for your support for Human Rights in Tibet.
Please if you have a way of sharing this information with others so they can become informed please do so. Also at the bottom of the page I have included a link to a very good news source to keep abreast of the situations inside Tibet.
Current TWA Press Releases
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Exile Tibetans Demand Immediate International Intervention into the Deepening Crackdown in Kirti Monastery- April 24 (summary)
In the aftermath of the deepening crackdown in Kirti Monastery and the ensuing arrest of hundreds of monks, the Tibetan Women’s Association and Gu Chu Sum Movement of Tibet organized a mass protest rally in Dharamsala on April 24 to condemn the ongoing crackdown in Tibet. Hundreds of Tibetans; monks, nuns, school children and lay people along with Tibetan supporters marched from Tsuglakhang temple in Mcleod Ganj to Kachari Square in Lower Dharamsala demanding global vigilance and arbitration over the heightened Chinese repression in Amdo Ngaba.
On Thursday (April 21) two elderly Tibetans, Dongko (male, aged 60) and Sherkyi (female, aged 65) were killed after enduring excessive beatings from the Chinese police. The two people died in their attempt to prevent the 300 Kirti monks from forcibly being hauled into the trucks driving them to an undisclosed location. Eyewitnesses claim that “people had their arms and legs broken, one old woman had her leg broken in three places, and cloth was stuffed in their mouths to stifle their screams.”
On Wednesday (April 20), several hundred officials from nearby counties gathered at Kirti Monastery to conduct ‘patriotic education’. According to International Campaign for Tibet, “in scenes that appear to be reminiscent of the Cultural Revolution, when monks gave answers that the officials did not approve of, the monks were severely beaten.”
Since the last many weeks, Kirti Monastery has been turned into a virtual prison with foods being impounded, movements restricted and the 2500 monks being made to starve. Kirti Rinpoche (living in India) has appealed for international support to save Kirti monastery in the wake of the crisis facing the monks and the local people in Ngaba.
Contrary to the Chinese government’s claim that the condition in Amdo Ngaba is normal, the video footages and the still images that came out of Tibet showed that following the unrest, Ngaba has been under severe lockdown with heavy presence of paramilitary and armed forces.
“The crackdown on the Tibetans by the Chinese authorities impedes the international human rights conventions that China signed and ratified especially the Right to freedom of religion’ and the Right to freedom of thought” said Lukar Jam, the vice President of Gu Chu Sum Movement for Tibet.
Tension is rife in the region with foreign journalists being barred from entering the restive region and with the phone and information communication channels also being blocked. The absence of international intervention and lack of adequate legal protection and free media coverage will only exacerbate the situation.
We urge the United States Government to raise this crucial issue during the annual meeting on human rights between the United States and China scheduled to be held next week in Beijing. We call for the urgent intervention of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion, International Human Rights organizations, the Global Buddhist Associations and the world leaders to pressurize the Chinese government to immediately stop the crackdown, end the siege in Ngaba and to release the arrested monks of Kirti monastery.
TWA Solidarity with Ngaba Kirti Monastery – April 13th (summarized)
The current situation in Ngaba Kirti Monastery is of grave concern as 2500 monks are at risk of starvation due to the complete blockade by Chinese military.
In rehash of the events which occurred since March 17th , intensified Chinese security in Ngaba County, Tibet, restricted all Tibetans as of March 20th from ceremonial practices. In addition, all regular religious programs in the monastery were suspended indefinitely.
On March 21st Kirti Monastery was subjected to the Chinese Patriotic re-education campaign initiated inside their monastery. The so called “love your country, love your religion” campaign was conducted over a five day period.
Between the dates of March 22nd and March 25th community members were arrested and detained (a total of 33 arrested which 22 people are still detained: 8 monks and 16 lay people). Recently reports of Tibetan monks under the age of 18 have been taken by force from the Kirti Monastery along with youth in the community who have been arrested.
As of April 7th Chinese security forces cordoned three of four gated entrances by constructing cement walls restricting all movement in and out of the monastery; therefore, no one is allowed to come or go and the food offerings from local Tibetans, which sustain the monks, have been completely prohibited. The grave concern now is starvation of 2500 monks who are directly affected by the crackdown.
April 1st to April 8th brought about complete blockade of the Monastery with extreme restrictions of movement, harassment, and food shortage. The authorities up to this point have taken drastic measures to quell any possibility of continued solidarity or show of support. At this time the monastery officials have maintained a peaceful environment with continued emphasis on non-violence. The concern now is how long can the monks sustain with no food, how long will the human rights violations persist and how long will the monks remain quiet?
Due to the extreme conditions of human rights violations in Ngaba County Tibet, TWA appeals to the international community and the United Nations to urgently issue intervention to stop the ongoing security clampdown and arbitrary arrests and detentions of Tibetans. TWA urges the authorities to immediately stop the deplorable human rights violations of food denial and forced starvation imposed on the monks of Kirti Monastery in Ngaba County. In addition the restrictions on freedom of movement must be lifted.
Please we ask not only the Tibetan community but the international community to join in solidarity with our Tibetan brothers and sisters in Ngaba County, Tibet. In addition, we pray for the wellbeing of the 2500 monks directly affected by the intensified security and restriction of food supply. Please join us around the world in support.
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Thank you for your time in reading and becoming informed. Also keep the monks in India who are marching to Delhi in your prayers for safety in addition to all those in Ngaba County, Tibet who are under such intense restrictions.
Keep current with Tibetan News:
http://www.phayul.com/
Also you can show your support for the Tibetan community and Human Rights in Tibet by taking one simple step and placing your facebook picture as the Panchen Lama who is the youngest political prisoner in history taken at the age of six and been missing since 1995. He would have been 22 yesterday but no one of the Tibetan community knows of his where abouts.
Thank you and if you are interested in supporting the Pennies for Partnerships Project there is a link in the side bar for gift giving.
Much appreciation to you all for keeping the Tibetan community in the forethought.
Leann
India-Tibetan Social Work 